Washington in Focus

Washington voters could take a major step toward replacing Puget Sound Energy (PSE) with public power as Kitsap County Proposition 1 heads to the November 3 election. Meanwhile, Governor Bob Ferguson faces calls to opt Washington into a federal scholarship tax credit program that supporters say could unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in annual education funding. In the October 30, 2026 editio...

Washington public employee unions are making major campaign contributions just days before the November 3 election, following a decision by the Washington Public Disclosure Commission not to enforce certain contribution limits. Meanwhile, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson faces renewed criticism of her homelessness strategy, and a Washington appeals court delivers an important procedural victory to Seatt...

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson faces questions about potential federal homelessness funding cuts. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson creates a new statewide fraud prevention office amid growing questions about taxpayer oversight. And Brandi Kruse speaks out about her removal from a Portland Thorns soccer game. On the October 28, 2026 episode of Washington In Focus Daily, The Center Square examines three...

Brandi Kruse is forcibly escorted from a Portland Thorns soccer game following a confrontation over girls' sports activism. Washington election regulators suspend restrictions on large last-minute campaign donations. And Washington workers face another payroll premium increase in 2027. On the October 26, 2026 episode of Washington In Focus Daily, The Center Square examines three major stories affe...

Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank is warning voters that a proposed charter amendment could end his term two years early and replace the elected sheriff with an appointed official. Meanwhile, Washington small businesses are raising concerns about the state's new 9.9% income tax, and student-athletes are speaking out in the debate over transgender participation in girls' sports. In this October 23,...

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is facing questions over a new homelessness strategy and $183 MILLION in planned city shelter spending for 2027, while a major girls' sports rally in Camas, Washington, draws hundreds amid growing political disagreement over transgender athletes competing in female school sports. In the October 22, 2026 episode of Washington In Focus Daily, The Center Square examines Sea...

A $15 BILLION Washington-Oregon Interstate Bridge Replacement project faces a new federal lawsuit, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon presses Governor Bob Ferguson over federal school scholarship tax credits, and a major girls' sports rally is planned in Camas following a controversial high school cross-country protest. In today's Washington In Focus Daily (October 21, 2026), The Center Square...

Washington's new 9.9% income tax could cost thousands of jobs and billions in economic growth, according to a report highlighted by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Meanwhile, union-backed attack mailers targeting Washington Supreme Court candidates are drawing criticism, and a major girls' sports rally is planned in Camas. In today's Washington In Focus Daily, The Center Sq...

Washington's girls' sports debate is intensifying after several Camas High School cross-country runners declined to compete in a race involving a transgender athlete. Superintendent Chris Reykdal is responding as voters prepare to decide a statewide girls' sports initiative. Meanwhile, Everett Public Schools has agreed to a $275,000 settlement and issued an apology following a religious freedom la...

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's proposed $9.1 billion budget is drawing questions over government spending, future deficits and police funding. Meanwhile, Washington's historical income tax voting records disappeared from a state website before being restored ahead of a major income tax repeal vote. And Washington Supreme Court candidates debate the court's decision to strike down a voter-approved na...

A Washington newspaper editor is facing questions about media bias after rejecting an opinion piece supporting a girls' sports ballot initiative. Meanwhile, a Washington lawmaker challenges Superintendent Chris Reykdal over a federal education scholarship tax credit program, and Republican congressional candidate John Braun responds to a controversial campaign ad from Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesen...

Washington's closely watched 3rd Congressional District race takes a personal turn as Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican challenger John Braun clash during a heated debate. Meanwhile, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson faces questions about public safety and police staffing, and the controversy surrounding LEAD co-founder Lisa Daugaard's fentanyl comments continues. In the October 14,...

Washington's Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) is facing renewed scrutiny after redacting the names of daycare providers receiving taxpayer-funded grants. Meanwhile, Seattle's LEAD drug diversion controversy continues as co-founder Lisa Daugaard responds to criticism over her comments about fentanyl addiction, and Washington education officials clash over a federal scholarship tax...

Seattle's drug diversion policies are facing renewed scrutiny after a tense exchange involving LEAD program creator Lisa Daugaard at a public panel discussion. Meanwhile, a new study warns Washington's 9.9% income tax could reduce economic growth, and journalist Brandi Kruse scores a major public records victory against the City of Seattle. SEATTLE LEAD PROGRAM / FENTANYL POLICY DEBATE At a We Hea...

Washington's 9.9% income tax faces a major repeal vote as supporters and opponents clash over Initiative 645. Meanwhile, Washington Supreme Court candidates answer questions about voter initiatives, and 13 mayors urge Gov. Bob Ferguson to rethink the state's approach to fentanyl addiction. WASHINGTON INCOME TAX / INITIATIVE 645 At the Bellevue Chamber's Eastside Leadership Conference, Sen. Manka D...

Vice President JD Vance is targeting Microsoft over alleged H-1B visa abuse and American worker layoffs, announcing a suspension of the company's PERM labor-certification processing amid a federal investigation. Microsoft is pushing back against the administration's claims. JD VANCE TARGETS MICROSOFT OVER H-1B VISAS Vance accused Microsoft of laying off thousands of American workers while relying...

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is still deciding whether to join a new federal education tax credit program that supporters estimate could bring more than $700 million annually to Washington students. Meanwhile, Washington's 9.9% income tax faces new questions, and the Tacoma Urban League confirms its CEO has been terminated following months of scrutiny. FEDERAL EDUCATION TAX CREDIT Former Obama Edu...

A Washington high-school wrestler is asking the U.S. Supreme Court for emergency relief in a major girls sports and Title IX case, while Seattle business leaders are sounding the alarm over the city's growing tax burden and the Freedom Foundation is suing New York over a new union-related communications law. Washington wrestler Kallie Keeler and her mother have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to inte...

Former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is taking aim at the oil and gas industry as the U.S. Supreme Court hears a major climate-change case that could affect lawsuits against fossil-fuel companies across the country. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, a case involving ExxonMobil, Suncor Energy and local governments in Colorado seeking damages for alleged...

Puget Sound Energy customers are pushing back against a proposed three-year rate plan that could significantly increase electric and natural gas bills across Washington. PSE is asking the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission to approve electric rate increases of 15.15% in 2027, 3.74% in 2028 and 8.70% in 2029. The Washington Attorney General's Office characterizes the proposal as an...

Washington voters will soon decide whether to repeal the state's newly enacted 9.9% income tax, and a new analysis examines what Initiative 645 would actually do to the rest of Washington's tax package. The Washington Research Council has released a policy brief examining I-645 and the state's new income tax established under Senate Bill 6346. If voters approve Initiative 645, the income-tax provi...

A Washington Supreme Court ruling striking down voter-approved Initiative 2066 is raising new questions about whether the court's single-subject reasoning could have consequences for other Washington laws—including the state's newly enacted 9.9% income tax. The Washington Supreme Court struck down Initiative 2066 in a 6-3 decision, ruling that the voter-approved natural gas measure violated Washin...

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's new gun violence prevention plan is facing questions over coordination, the role of police and how much advance notice key public safety officials received before the strategy was announced. Mayor Wilson unveiled Seattle's new gun violence strategy following a series of high-profile shootings and continuing concerns about public safety in downtown Seattle. The plan put...

A potential Boeing strike could put Washington state's new unemployment benefits law for striking workers to one of its biggest tests yet. Approximately 17,000 Boeing employees represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, or SPEEA, are voting on a new four-year contract agreement. Union members previously authorized a strike if they reject Boeing's contract offer....

New questions are being raised about Washington's taxpayer-funded childcare system as reporters continue investigating Seattle-area home daycare providers receiving government subsidies. Post Millennial reporter Katie Daviscourt recently visited Somali-run home daycares in South Seattle and Tukwila while examining how taxpayer childcare subsidies are being distributed. SEIU 925 subsequently contac...